Richard Desmond has turned the Express into a UKIP press release

Reading today’s Daily Express is like reading a copy of Pravda from an alternate universe where Nigel Farage is king.

Ahead of the UKIP leader’s big speech at party conference, the Daily Express front page hails a ‘HUGE BOOST IN FIGHT TO QUIT EU‘:

“The crusade for Britain to quit the EU will take a big step forward today when anti-Brussels campaigners unite in battle for victory in the forthcoming referendum.”

You would think from this war-language that Britain was planning for a ground invasion of Belgium. The reality is rather less dramatic:

“A string of pressure groups and think tanks with thousands of activists between them are coming together with UKIP to back a new umbrella group called ‘Leave.EU’.”

As the paper’s breathless editorial shouts:

“The crusade to leave the EU led by the Daily Express us building up a head of steam. The tide of public opinion is turning against the doomed union and now the major Eurosceptic groupings are uniting under one banner.

This has required egos to be set aside, differences to be bridged and agreements to be reached but it is vital if we are to have any hope of freeing Britain from Brussels rule.”

A note of doubt there at the end. If ‘the European project is on its knees’, as the piece asserts, why the desperate phrase ‘if we are to have any hope’?

The paper quotes ‘senior party sources’ claiming £200,000 of Desmond’s £1million donation to UKIP ahead of the general election was used to pay back another wealthy donor, Andrew Reid, then the party’s treasurer – who has since disappeared.

The story claims UKIP has ‘haemorraged’ thousands of members since the election, has technical issues taking direct debit donations from members, and slashed ticket prices for its annual conference to fill the room.

Of course, none of this appears in today’s Express.

This looks like an attempt by the Tory-supporting Times to pour cold water on the UKIP party conference. Reports earlier this year suggest proprietor Rupert Murdoch has plumped for backing Cameron’s ‘reform but remain’ EU agenda. After all, why if the £200,000 loan was called in before the election is it news now?

It would be nice if the country’s national papers were not used as duelling press releases by rival businessmen, and instead we could have serious and honest coverage of debates over Europe. Is that too much to ask?

WhiteVanMan

Definition of fascism is oppression against democracy
The National front of the 1970’s was when we were the empire it was queen and country Mosley was misunderstood, Enoch was right the BNP now are trying to appeal to disillusioned Labour voters up north, by being a racist version of old laobur they want to renationalsie industried and build council homes,a part from their racist view they’re much to the left of labour
in fact New Labour and Blair are much more fascistic than Ukip

WhiteVanMan

WhiteVanMan

But the. Left in accusing everyone they disagree with as fascist, not only undermines the threat of fascism, it’s clearly a case of trying to cover up Islamic extremism, for political gain ,notably in Rotherham council

WhiteVanMan

You obviously think Ukip are fascist because they have views on immigration, and you think controlling immigration is racist
Racist is not fascist, Franco was a fascist he wasn’t a racist, Enoch was a racist not a fascist

In the days of show trials Everyone’s the Arm chair experts, Last year on this week Diane Abbott MP said Mao did more good than harm, is good, is that really any different to Denying the holocaust,diane abbotts was accused of racism and as any inicdent has to be treeted as a racist one. if anyone says it is.

Mauro Andrade

I’m not a Trotskyite but I believe that there are elements of the trade union bill going through parliament which are strongly reminiscent of Salazar era Portugal and Franco era Spain. Those were fascist regimes…